Health as the Basis for Managing Body Weight
Diseases associated with obesity and a large waist circumference include:
- High cholesterol and cardiovascular disease (including coronary artery disease and stroke).
- High blood pressure (hypertension). People who are obese have a risk for high blood pressure that is two to three times greater than that of people who maintain a healthy weight.
- Sleep apnea and respiratory problems.
- Type 2 diabetes [formerly called adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)].
- Gallbladder disease (gallstones). People who are overweight have a risk for gallbladder disease that is two to three times greater than that of people who maintain a healthy weight.
- Metabolic syndrome*. Research has shown that having this syndrome increases your risk for coronary artery disease (CAD), even beyond that caused by high cholesterol alone.
- Osteoporosis.
- Osteoarthritis.
- Some forms of cancer, such as those affecting the colon, breasts, and prostate.
*Metabolic syndrome is a group of abnormalities related to the body's metabolism.
These abnormalities include excess body fat (particularly around the waist), high triglycerides and blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol. Metabolic syndrome
is closely linked to a specific metabolic problem called insulin resistance, in which the ability of insulin to control the amount of sugar in the blood is impaired.
Note: your ideal weight may differ from the value depicted on this chart; it can be helpful for determining whether your weight is increasing your risk for disease.
Weight chart adapted by Healthwise, Inc., from the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2000). U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/).
Health as the Basis for Managing Body Weight: this content appears through the courtesy of Healthwise, Incorporated. For additionalinformation, please see
http://health.yahoo.com/topic/weightloss/feeding/article/healthwise/aa126278
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